


One More Pittsburgh Heartbreak

by sakesushimaki



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Fluff, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-15
Updated: 2011-08-15
Packaged: 2017-10-22 15:44:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/239697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakesushimaki/pseuds/sakesushimaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gus learns about love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One More Pittsburgh Heartbreak

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a quote from Michael Chabon’s novel _The Mysteries of Pittsburgh_. Also, I have a suspicion that I stole Brian’s last line from some movie, but I’m not sure?

“Hey,” Brian says, coming over for a hello-kiss.

“Hey.”

He looks around the loft. “Didn’t you pick up Gus?”

Justin continues putting away the dishes. “I did. He’s in the bathroom.”

“Oh.”

“He’s been in there for the past hour and a half.”

“What?”

Justin rubs his temple. “Your son informs me that he will spend the remaining 80 years of his life in seclusion.”

“He… _what_?”

“He refuses to talk to me, he doesn’t want to eat – Yes, I tried gummi bears – and slams the door in my face whenever I go to check on him.” Justin leans back against the fridge, rubbing his exhausted eyes. He all but had to wrestle Gus into the car when he picked him up earlier. “Apparently, he’s unhappily in love,” he explains, huffing a laugh at Brian’s expression.

“Gus?” Brian shouts, loosening his tie and leaning against the kitchen counter. “Come out here!”

“No!” comes the muffled retort from the direction of the bathroom.

“No?”

“No! Never!”

“I’m gonna start dinner,” Justin says, turning and opening the fridge door.

Brian walks up into the bedroom, throws his tie on the bed and opens the bathroom door. He finds Gus sitting with his back against the tiled wall, worrying a towel corner between his fingers.

At the age of 8, Gus is becoming a full-fledged drama queen. Almost every week they have to deal with some (temper) crisis or another.

Brian is secretly grateful that he gets to witness each. Most of the time, anyway.

This, _seclusion_ , is new, though. Usually Gus wants as many people as possible to witness his tantrums – the boy loves an audience. In fact, his best performances so far were done in supermarket aisles on crazily busy Fridays.

“Why are you sitting in here?”

“Because this is where I live now.” Gus’ lower lip wobbles a bit but he quickly draws it in.

“Our bathroom?”

Gus nods.

“Well, that makes sense, seeing as it’s already nicely furnished,” Brian tries to joke. “But you know, I bet your moms will be pretty sad if you don’t come home anymore.”

“I don’t care!” Gus cries. “They ruined my life!”

Brian sighs and plops down on the cold floor. Last week it was him who ruined Gus’ life because he wouldn’t buy him that third pair of basketball shoes.

“So tell me _how_ they ruined your life.”

“I can’t!” Gus wails and hides behind the dangling towel.

“Justin?” Brian asks. “I don’t suppose you can help and bring me up to speed?”

Justin appears in the doorway, squats down and hands Gus a glass of orange juice when he peeks out from behind the terry cloth. “Gus has… certain feelings for Miss Maron, his teacher. He’s been worrying Lindsay and Mel a bit, so they went to see her today. It’s all no big deal and Miss Maron is very understanding and nice, as Mel told me.” Justin reaches behind the towel to pet Gus’ brown head. “But Gus is hung up on the fact that they basically told her about his feelings for her.”

Brian blinks at the towel that outlines Gus’s head. “You have a crush on _your teacher_? I gotta be honest with you, Gus. That’s pretty lame.”

Gus slaps the towel away. “I don’t have a crush on her!” he screams, eyes blurry with tears. “I _love_ her!”

Brian sighs, rubbing his forehead and leaning back against the opposite bathroom wall. “You’re only eight, you don’t—”

“Don’t tell me I don’t know what real love is!” His eyes blaze with frustrated passion and decisiveness, and Brian can just stare at him in wonder.

“Uh.”

Justin bites his lip and goes back to the kitchen. Brian sitting on the bathroom floor in his newest Armani, having a conversation about love – Justin is going to commit the image to his memory for all eternity.

“I really love her, Dad,” Gus mumbles, eyes puffy and nose red and running.

And for some reason, Brian believes him. And he doesn’t even find that thought ridiculous.

“I know, Sonny boy.” He reaches up over their heads and plucks a couple of tissues from the dispenser to hand to Gus.

“Mommy says that— that I can’t ever be with Miss Maron.”

“I’m afraid that’s true.”

Gus wipes his eyes, then rubs his chest. “It hurts a lot. Does it always hurt a lot?”

And Gus stares at him through such big and innocent eyes that Brian can’t even consider dodging. “Well, I guess, sometimes it hurts.” He thinks for a moment before he bends forward, keeping his voice low. “And yeah, sometimes… Sometimes it hurts a whole lot. But that’s how you know it’s real.”

He hears a pot drop anyway.


End file.
